Review: Anthony's

Posted by Adam Kuban, December 12, 2005 at 10:54 AM

With reports of homemade-mozzarella-topped pies and a pizza pedigree that comes in part from working with the Nick's empire, it's not surprising that Anthony's is turning out a great Neapolitan pie.

I went yesterday for a late lunch and opted for a margherita, a benchmark I use when trying a new place. With the exception of some tip sag, the pie was excellent. The remarkably light and airy crust exhibited a decent amount of charring and a very nice amount of oven spring, especially evident in the cornichone, the rim of the pizza (above left). It had some chewiness to it, but was softer and more forgiving on the jaw than many other Neapolitan pies I've had lately.

The sauce was noticeably fresh and mildly zesty and the mozzarella was creamy and pleasantly stringy. The overall cheese-sauce ratio was good, but there was some bunching of cheese on one of the slices (which sogged the crust and prevented a nice char on the underside) and only a couple bites' worth on another. But that's not a dealbreaker on the first visit.

Providing a nice finish to each slice was the cornichone, or "end crust," which had a dusting of Parmesan cheese baked into it. Not in a gimmicky way, though. Anthony's might take offense to this, but it tasted like a really good version of Pizza Pretz, a Japanese pizza-flavored snack.

A recent New York magazine blurb on Anthony's opening explains the origin of the name: "[Owner Sal Buglione built the kind of pizzeria he] always imagined surprising his dad with. “We’d pull up, I’d say, ‘Hey, look, Anthony’s, let’s get a pizza,’ then I’d say, ‘This is for you.’ ” ...

We think Anthony Buglione would have been proud of what his sons built.

ANTHONY'S
Location: 426A Seventh Ave. (Park Slope; b/n 14th and 15th), Brooklyn NY 11215
Phone: 718-369-8315
Cost: Plain margherita, $11; marinara, $10; white pie, $11
Payment: Paper and plastic
The Skinny: Light, airy crust with homemade mozzarella and a fresh, zesty sauce. The 10-inch Neapolitan-style pies taste like small versions of New York's coal-oven heavyweights.

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Tags: Anthony's Pizza and Pasta, Brooklyn, Neapolitan-Style, NYC, Park Slope, reviews, Slice reviews